


The Lost Princess

by SpaceStingray



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Action/Adventure, Destiny, Friendship, There will be hints at past relationships but there will be no romance between Link and Zelda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-16 11:11:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18093206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceStingray/pseuds/SpaceStingray
Summary: The land of Hyrule is under the control of King Ganon, the princess Zelda has long since disappeared and Impa is searching the countryside for her. One day she stumbles across a young girl in the country who bears a very special symbol...





	1. Chapter 1

She had been traveling for years, she had been searching through the kingdom so many times over that she had lost count. Impa was tired, her body was getting weaker, and no amount of magic could keep it in this condition forever. She dismounted from her horse under a tree and thumped herself down at the base, her joints popping at every task.

“You’d better not be hiding…” She groaned. “And you’d better be alive…” She looked down towards the village her spot overlooked, she had just spent all day searching through every home, orphanage and business, but no such luck. “Zelda, where in Hyrule are you?” Her train of thought was interrupted by the familiar clanging of a livestock bell and a curious puff of air. Impa glanced to her left to see a curious black and white goat staring her down. It didn’t look aggressive, so she merely shrugged and leaned back against the tree. The goat approached cautiously and began sniffing over her person, then her horse. The horse nosed the goat in a friendly manner, causing Impa to chuckle. “Why can’t the rest of the world get along as easily as you two?” She grumbled, she was just about to lay against the tree and take a nap when a voice abruptly called her back. 

“Nutmeg you naughty thing, here you are!”

Impa groaned, would she never get a moment’s peace? She pushed herself to her feet and turned to face the approaching person, but when Impa caught sight of the newcomer, she froze. Her breath was trapped in her chest as her eyes zeroed in on the face of a young girl, a teenager, that was trotting in her direction. The girl was dressed in a dirt stained work dress, her dark brown hair was tied back in an unkempt ponytail, concerned brown eyes were zeroed in on Impa.

“I’m so sorry, he likes to chew on tack and saddlebags, look out!” The girl called out, she waved her shepherd’s cane earnestly. “Nutmeg don’t even think about it!”

Impa jolted out of her daze and turned to the goat, now on its hind legs and mouthing at her horse’s saddle straps. She gripped the animal by the horn and yanked it away, the goat jerking and bleating in protest. The girl tied a rope to the goat’s collar and yanked it to her side. “Thank you,” she said, panting from her sprint in the sun. “He hasn’t damaged your stuff, has he?” She asked nervously.

Impa glanced back to her horse, still grazing lazily as always, and turned back to the girl. She shook her head. “No, it looks like you came just in time. I owe you my thanks.” Said Impa with a friendly grin.

The girl waved a hand. “Oh no, it would have been my fault if he succeeded, I’ve no idea why the silly thing likes to chew on leather. Little escape artist too, let’s get you back to the flock where you belong.” She turned the goat around and began walking towards the nearby woods. “Safe travels to you.” She said shyly.

Impa extended an arm. “Now hold on,” she said firm but gentle. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts, and I know the kingdom of Hyrule like the back of my hand. May I have your name, young miss?”

The girl blushed ever so slightly, then shuffled in her step. “U-um, my Pa says it’s not safe to give strangers your name. I shouldn’t be this far away from the house as is.” She chewed the inside of her lip, eyeing the clearly visible sword on Impa’s hip. The older woman nodded, her brow furrowed in frustration but understanding.

“Well, how about I introduce myself? That way I won’t be quite a stranger.” The girl’s brow furrowed, it seemed as if she had already been told that excuse before. Impa sighed and placed her hands on her hips. “Listen,” she said. “There’s been more and more moblin attacks as of late. How about I help walk you back to your home as a body guard? Then we can introduce each other.”

The girl sighed, then nodded in defeat. “Okay,” she mumbled. Impa nodded and whistled for her horse, it trotted over to the two. Impa took the reigns and gestured to the girl, who rolled her eyes and began walking. “My name is Lily,” she said softly. “My Pa and Da used to live on the outskirts of Hyrule, but when Lord Ganon closed in the perimeter of Hyrule, they were forced to move further in. Seems as if nobody is allowed to leave or enter the kingdom.”

Impa’s brow furrowed, she remembered when she checked the border, it was a swarm of moblins at the time. The thought of missing a house or farm through all the scuffles didn’t seem improbable. “How old are you?” Asked Impa.

“Tell me your name first,” said Lily. 

Impa grunted, a smirk crept on her face. “I’m Impa, the last of the Shiekah. I’m on a secret mission from the Royal Family and the Hero of Time.”

The girl blinked, struggling to keep herself from staring at Impa as they traveled, she cleared her throat. “I’m seventeen.” She said. “My Da’s a blacksmith, but he’s getting ready to retire soon, we’ve taken to farming now, but as you can see we got the unlucky beasts.”

Impa chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it sooner or later.” The two continued their small walk through the forest until they came across a little cottage in the center of a clearing, Lily guided the goat into a pen and locked it, this time with a small chain. Impa chuckled under her breath. “Are your folks home?” She asked the girl, who was looking more concerned now.

“Why?” She asked.

“Cause I’d like to say hello.” Said Impa. “Like I said, I’m on a special mission from the Royal Family and I haven’t seen the likes of you folks before.”

Lily crossed her arms. “We don’t like strangers…” She said. “Please, can ye-?”

“Lily!” Called out a gruff voice. The two spun to see an elderly man charging out from the cottage door. “Lily get in the house NOW!”

The girl bolted in the man’s direction, Impa stood dumbfounded at the situation. The guy looked to be in his late seventies, his hair was already thinned out completely on the top of his head, in his prime he must have been well built, but now? He looked more frail, his muscles now sagged from his bones, betraying the fire in his eyes. Impa didn’t want to hurt the guy, but the dagger he held in his hand could still do some damage. She took to a fighting stance and braced herself. He made a clumsy downstroke, she countered it with ease, knocking the blade from his hand and sending it flying. It landed in the goat pen, with a soft thud. 

The man stood, trembling in anger, glaring at the woman who dared enter his property. “Who are you?” He barked. “Get out!”

Impa sheathed her sword and crossed her arms. “I am Impa of the Sheik, on a mission from the Royal Family.”

“Royal Family’s long dead!” The old man spat. “Been dead for ten years now!”

“Yes… Yes they are.” Whispered Impa. “But my mission is still not yet completed.”

“Oh? And what’s that?” The old man said in a snide tone. “Cause whatever they want, we ain’t got!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that…” Impa’s eyes trailed back up to the cottage where and elderly woman could be seen standing in the doorframe. She stared at the commotion with a worried look on her face. Impa sighed and turned back to the old man. “Listen… I’m sure you know of the legend of the bond between the Princess, Hero and Sorcerer.” She reached into a pocket in her tunic and pulled out an intricately carved ocarina. “And… I’m sure you know that the Princess has yet to show herself since Ganon’s takeover.”

The old man’s eyes widened, his lips curled back in a snarl. “I don’t like what you’re implying.” He growled. “If you think I’m going to let you take one step closer to my daughter, then you’ve got another thing coming. I’m long in the tooth, sure, but I’ve still got some fight in me!”

Impa’s patience was growing thin. “I can knock you down without so much of a sneeze, old man!” She barked. “All I request is to test the song on your girl, if she fails the test then I’ll be on my merry way and you won’t see me again!”

“You’ll not take a step closer to her, you hear?!” The man’s shouts echoed against the trees, Impa’s free hand gripped her sword, she took an intimidating step forward.

“Are you telling the truth?” 

The two turned to face the girl, Lily stood inside of an empty pen midway towards the house, her hands rested on the gate. “Lily, I told you to get to the house!” Barked the old man.

“And let you die, Pa?” The girl shouted back, she turned to Impa. “If you do that test will you really leave us alone?”

Impa nodded. “If you fail, I will leave.”

Lily’s brow furrowed. “And if I pass?”

“Then you must come with me.”

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” The old man lunged for Impa, but she anticipated his actions. Impa hooked her arms underneath of his and threw the old man to the ground, he was left stunned and lying on his back. She moved almost too fast for the man or the girl’s eyes to keep up. In a flash she leapt the fence and was at the girl’s side. “LILY!” The old man shouted as he struggled to get to his feet, still stunned from the blow.

“P-Pa, just let me try!” Lily said. “She’ll leave!” She turned to the woman and nodded. “Get it over with, why don’t you?” Impa smirked, the girl had spunk that’s for sure, she put the ocarina to her lips.

“LILY-!”

Impa began playing. She knew that the song was powerful enough to drown out his screams, if this was THE girl, then nothing he said or did would mask it. She knew the song by heart, it was ancient, mighty, and linked to the soul of the Princess. Every reincarnation was found through it.

Lily, at first, was flabbergasted. “You’re playing a song?” She asked, taking a step forward. “What even is…?” As if knocked in a daze, the girl stopped, the tension in her face slowly melted away. “Wait…” She whispered. Impa stared at the girl as she played, waiting for the signs. Lily stumbled back a pace, she brought a hand to her head. “I-I feel dizzy…” She mumbled. “Wha-Ow!” The girl clutched her hands in front of her. “Stop, STOP!” She tried to take a step towards Impa, but her knees buckled under her and she began to fall. Impa stopped playing and caught the girl just as she slipped into unconsciousness. She laid the girl down gently in the dirt, then checked her hand. Sure enough, the triforce gave a dull glow. She turned to the old man, now on his feet and glaring at her with red hot fury from behind the gate.

“Get out.” He said.

“Not without the Princess.”

The old man slammed the door open and stormed over, his wife shoved past him and fell to her knees next to the girl. “Oh Lily, Lily my dear wake up!” She turned to Impa. “What in Goddess’s name did you do to her?”

“I played the song,” Impa said softly, she tucked a strand of hair behind the sleeping girl’s ear. “I used to play it to her as a lullaby when she was a babe.”

“She ain’t your baby!” Barked the old man. “Now if you don’t leave I’ll-“

“I don’t want to take her by force, but if I must I will!” Impa shot up to her feet, while she wasn’t as large as the Gerudos she still easily towered over him. “Hyrule itself is at stake and I cannot in any good conscious leave her here! She is more at risk of any harm here than she would be with me. This is my sacred duty, I am-“

“Her mother? I think not!” Said the old woman, who was now rising to her feet. “Please, I beg of ye, please just… let us be. She’s our blessing!”

Impa sighed and rubbed her throbbing temples. “Please… Please try to understand…”

“We didn’t think we were ever going to have children…” The woman said, tears rolling down her face. Impa bit her lip as she watched. “I was too old when I met Olaf, too old to bear him a child, so we prayed to the Goddesses for any sort of blessing.”

“I almost lost her when it came time to deliver…” The old man mumbled, he slowly hung his head. “But… they were both strong.” He took his wife’s hand. “We’re not the most well off of folks, but we love our girl, she was our gift from the heavens.” He turned to face Impa. “You have to understand, we can’t just let you take her from us.”

Impa leaned against the fence, her arms crossed tightly in front of her chest. She took a deep breath, held it, then let it out. “You know… that I can’t just pretend that she’s not here.” She shook her head, giving the most apologetic look to the old couple. “If she stays here, it’s only a matter of time before His minions find her, and you know what they’re capable of.” She slowly approached the couple. “You can try packing up and moving all over the kingdom, but they WILL find her, and they WILL bring her to Ganon.” The couple looked at each other, then down to their daughter. The wife’s tears morphed into quiet sobs, she turned and buried her face in her husband’s shoulder. Impa sighed, she anticipated an ugly interaction with a family, but nothing to this degree. “I can let you say goodbye, we can leave in the morning.” The old man nodded, his face softened as he locked eyes with her. All three adults jumped when a soft whimper escaped the girl’s lips. 

“Ma? Da? How did…?” The girl sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. When her gaze locked with Impa, she paused, asking. “Did I fail the test?”

Impa sighed, shaking her head. “No, Princess, you passed.”

The girl’s lips pressed tight as she stared at Impa, then she rose to her feet and turned to her parents. The three didn’t have any words, the old couple wrapped their arms around their daughter. Impa sighed and called her horse over. This was going to be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning was full of mumbles and awkward silence. Impa slept outside in her tent and was ready with her horse by dawn. Mabel, the old woman, busied herself with packing food for Lily. Olaf put together a small set of tools and hunting supplies. When she emerged from the cottage, Lily was dressed in informal traveling gear, Impa raised an eyebrow when she noticed the breeches and hood. The tunic and breeches were so baggy that it masked the girl’s frame. Olaf caught the gaze of Impa and grunted.

“My old traveling clothes, we figured it would keep her safe if she was more likely to be confused for a boy.” Olaf strode over to Impa and extended an open hand. “Promise me this, write to us when you can. We just… we want to know she’s safe.”

Impa nodded and accepted the hand, giving it a firm shake. “We won’t be able to at every stop, but we’ll do our best.”

Olaf nodded, Mabel joined him. “You promise you’ll look our for her.” She said hopefully. “A-and make sure that Hero boy doesn’t get too friendly with her.”

Impa smirked. “Oh don’t you worry about him, I’ll keep him in line.” Impa chuckled. She glanced once more to the girl, then back to the couple. “You… you two knew, didn’t you?”

Olaf crossed his arms. “When it was clear that they were going to live, I had a feeling the Goddesses had a plan for Lily.” He whispered. “I just… didn’t expect it to be this.”

“Neither of us, but we had a feeling something was going to happen.” Mabel said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We just pray that she will succeed in-“ Lily had stepped to her mother’s side. Her eyes were stained in dark, tired circles. Mabel pulled her daughter into her arms and squeezed tightly. “I love you, I love you so much.” Lily didn’t return the hug, she could only stare back at her parents when they let go.

“I… I love you.” She said, her voice trembling. She turned to Impa, who stood next to her horse, and gingerly approached. Impa nodded and took the girl’s pack from her, strapping it to her horse’s saddle. She then boosted the girl on the animal and pulled herself up behind. 

Impa turned her horse to the direction of the house. “On my life, I will keep her safe.” She then turned the animal to the west and kicked her heels. The animal set off at a trot, then a canter, then a gallop. They rode along the mountain path overlooking the village, then into the wilderness. Lily gripped the saddle horn, it was clear that she did not have much experience in riding, Impa made a mental note to train the girl. If she knew how to ride on her own then she could get the girl her own horse and they could travel at a faster pace, or she could escape quickly if they ran into trouble.

When they had ridden out of sight of the village, Impa let her rose slow to a gentler pace. She could feel the girl trembling in front of her. She leaned back in the saddle and sighed, they couldn’t ride like this the entire way. “I know this is a lot at once,” she said softly. “But listen, as scary as it may seem, good will triumph over evil always. Have faith, okay?”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Mumbled the girl, her face hidden in her hood. 

Impa’s mouth twitched. “It usually works for me,” she shrugged as she turned the horse around a cliffside. “I prayed, refusing to let the evils of the world tie me down. I searched for years until I found you. And now…” A smile grew on Impa’s face. “Now we can finally undo the wrongs that he’s brought into the world.”

Lily paused, then pulled her hood back, exposing her soft brown hair. She turned to look at Impa. “B-But I’m… I mean, I don’t feel like…” Her voice trailed, she turned back around and stared at her gloved hands. “I don’t feel like…”

Impa brought a hand to the girl’s shoulder. “You’re not supposed to feel like a princess, you’re not supposed to feel regal or royal blood.” Lily blinked in confusion, she opened her mouth to retort before Impa continued. “You ARE the princess, you’ve always been her. The reason you don’t feel regal or royal is because you already are, whether you’re covered in farm dirt or in fine gowns, you’re the princess, the holder of the Triforce.” She could feel the girl’s frame begin to relax slightly. “And listen,” her voice lowered. “Along with the Hero, and along with the Sorcerer, I have been protecting you throughout all of your lives. I have been pledged to you, and I will protect you from any danger no matter how large or small, okay?”

The girl nodded, pulling the hood over her face again. 

“Good, so while we’re traveling, I’m going to need some cooperation from you. Do as I say, if I tell you to hide, you hide, if I tell you to stay somewhere, you stay. Everything I do will be for your safety, so I’m going to need you to trust me, do I have your word?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Good, now, I have another question, how good are you with riding? Can you mount and dismount by yourself?”

“N-No, Ma and Pa sold their last horse. We never really needed one since then and I never got to learn. I’ve ridden with people, but never by myself, I can mount if I have a fence to boost from.”

Impa grunted. “Well, that’s going to change. I’ll teach you how to ride while we travel, you’re going to need to learn.”

“Where are we going?” 

“West, to a secret location.”

“Where?”

“I’ll tell you later, one more question.”

“Hm?”

“You’ve been yawning ever since we left, did you get any sleep at all last night?”

“Of course not…”

“You can doze if you want, we’ve got a long way until the next town and it’s going to be fairly safe terrain. Just be ready if I have to give him a kick.” She pulled the girl back until she was leaning against her chest. “I’ll keep you balanced."

Lily mumbled a “thank you” and closed her eyes. Impa rode in silence for a a few minutes, enjoying the calm of the area, before the girl stirred. “Impa?”

“Yes?”

“You’re… not going to start calling me Zelda, are you?”

“No, it’s not safe to be using that name, not yet at least. Your old name is a good enough alias for now.”

“Alias?”

“Like a code name, or a secret name.”

“So… my name is the secret name?”

“Yes.”

“But… it’s my name.”

Impa’s lips became a thin line. “Yes, yes it is.”

“So does this mean you’ll start calling me Zelda after all of… this stuff… blows over?”

“When balance is restored, well… yes.” Impa felt the girl stiffen in front of her. “It’s your destiny, princess.” She whispered.

“Yeah… whatever you say…”

“Get some rest.” Impa whispered, the girl sighed and leaned her head against the woman’s chest. Impa nudged her horse towards a mountain trail, so long as they didn’t run into any trouble, they should make it to the next town by nightfall.

A few hours later, Impa groaned, a rockslide had completely covered their trail. She nudged Lily awake and dismounted, the boulders were easily too large to move by hand, she checked the surrounding terrain, it was obviously too steep to move around and the rubble itself wasn’t stable enough to try and climb over. She shook her head angrily and turned back to the horse, Lily stared at her with curious eyes. “Is there another way?” She asked.

“There’s always another way.” Impa responded as she pulled herself into the saddle. “But in this case it’s through some rough territory, I’m going to need you to stay awake and keep your guard up. Okay?” The girl nodded, tugging her hood farther down her face. Impa nodded, “Good girl.” She turned the horse around and kicked to a trot. Impa was grinding her teeth at this point, not only would they have to be backtracking in order to get on the detour path, but now they would surely not make it to the next town before nightfall. 

An hour passed, they were deep in the steep rocky path, before Lily whispered. “I see a light.” Sure enough, it was a moblin scout on patrol. He was a climber, with plenty of rope and heavy armor, ready to strike on any foolish travelers. Impa pulled her horse up to a halt and pulled a crossbow from her pack. Lily jumped when she saw the weapon. “You’re going to shoot him?” She whispered sharply.

“Of course I am, if he gets away he’ll warn the others and we’ll be surrounded in minutes.” Impa responded, taking aim at the oblivious scout.

Lily shot her hand in front of the arrowhead. “But he’s not hurting us now, it’s still a life you’re taking!”

Impa pulled back, glaring at the girl. “Are you seriously defending the life of a monster servant to Ganondorf?” She hissed.

“Are the Gorons and Zoras not of Hylian descent?” Lily retorted. “I know they work for Ganondorf, but a life is a life!”

“You promised me co-operation.” Impa growled, pushing the girl down and taking aim. “I’m doing this to protect you.”

“Well maybe I don’t like being the accomplice of-“ Lily shot up, knocking the crossbow upwards just as Impa pulled the trigger. The bolt shot forward, sailing just over the head of the moblin scout. The pig like monster jumped and turned to face the group, pulling a horn from his pack and raising the alarm.

“SHIT!” Impa reared her horse and kicked hard, forcing the animal to gallop. Soon, the voices of other moblins could be heard on either side. They rode on black horses, with leather and chain armor decorating their tough hides. Lily’s eyes met with a moblin, who squealed in delight.

“Meat, delicious meat for tonight!” The moblins cheered amongst themselves as they closed in. Impa unsheathed her sword and pulled her horse sharply to the left, slashing hard and knocking a moblin to the ground. The other members of the party cried out, their jokes turning to curses, and spurred their animals on. Impa cursed under her breath and pulled a handful of deku nuts from her side pouch.

“Cover your eyes!”

She threw them behind her, there was a collection of loud bangs, firecrackers from behind. The moblins squealed all around them, some fell from their horses. Impa kicked her horse again, driving them into the trees and out of sight. It was twilight, so the cover of trees assisted their disappearance along with the oncoming night. When she was sure that they were no longer being pursued, Impa pulled her horse to a halt and dismounted. She pulled Lily from the saddle, took her by the shoulders and shook her. 

“What in the name of the three Goddesses were you thinking?” She spat. “I was trying to protect you and you almost got us both killed!” Lily squirmed from Impa’s grip.

“You were going to kill that moblin who did us no harm!”

“Moblins work for Ganondorf, how many times do I have to say that?” Impa retorted, poking the girl hard in the chest. Lily smacked it away.

“So do people! What makes moblins any worse?”

“If it were a man wearing his colors, I’d still shoot him!” Impa said in a cold tone, Lily’s eyes grew, she took a step back.

“You’re no worse than he is,” she whispered, turning away. “I-I want to go home.” Impa shot an arm out.

“You will not leave my side!” Impa hissed, pulling the girl back by her hood. Lily struggled under her grip, her arms flailing in random punches.

“Let me go! I’m not going with you, you’re a murderer-!”

*Slap*

Impa cuffed the girl with the back of her hand, hoping that the shock was enough to halt the noise and struggle. It seemed to have worked. Lily stared back at her with large, watery brown eyes, one hand was still gripped on Impa’s wrist. The girl’s eyes fell to the ground, she slowly let go, standing in defeat. Impa sighed and pinched the bridge between her eyes. “Listen,” she said in a softer tone. “I don’t like to kill, I don’t like to take a life unless it’s absolutely necessary.” She placed a hand under the girl’s chin and raised it, forcing Lily to keep eye contact with her. “But I meant it when I said that Ganondorf’s people will not hesitate to take your life. They’ve done it before, they’ll do it again, they WILL kill you regardless of your age and innocence.” She took a step back and undid the buttons on her tunic, pulling it back until it exposed part of her left breast. A bright red tattoo was etched into her skin, it featured a red eye dripping a single tear. “The eye symbolizes that we only search for the truth, the tear represents that we will always stay in the shadows of the royal family.” Impa dropped to one knee, taking one of Lily’s hands in her own. “I have pledged my life to the royal family, and I pledge myself to you, to protect you by any means necessary, even if it means taking a life.”

She looked up at the girl, her eyes pleading, begging for the girl to understand. Lily only stared back, her brow knotted in mixed emotions. She dropped to her knees in front of Impa, still holding the woman’s hands. “But I’m not royal blood.” She whispered. “I’m a farm girl, I don’t know anything about the legends, or how to be a princess…” She shook her head, her shoulders slumped. “I… I knew a boy who had to run off and join King Ganondorf’s army, his family was starving, it was the only option they had.” Impa’s eyes widened, the girl sniffled and rubbed her face. “What if the moblins are like that too? What if they didn’t have a choice either?”

Impa sighed and pulled the girl into a hug. “I see…” She whispered. “I see…” Lily took deep breaths to keep herself from crying, she let herself stay in the woman’s arms until she regained herself, then she pulled away. “Let’s try this,” Impa said. “I will… TRY to refrain from killing, if you promise to listen to me more.” She gave a light shrug. “I can’t promise much.”

Lily sighed. “No,” she said. “If you have to, then you have to.” She rubbed her arms. “I just hope it won’t be someone I knew, that’s all.” Impa nodded understandingly, then rose to her feet. “Well, we should get on the move again. We’ll be safer once we get to a town, we can get some proper rest.” Impa checked her horse over, making sure that the saddle, tack and supplies were still secure. “Then I can start training you in self defense and riding.” She turned and offered a hand. “Come along, princess.”

Lily stared, her breath caught in her chest, she felt a pit in her gut. She hesitated, but took the hand, allowing the woman to boost her into the saddle. Impa knew exactly what she said, her jaw was set tight as she pulled herself up and turn the horse west. 

The sooner you come to accept it, the better.


End file.
